Tuesday, October 16, 2012

It
is the story of how King Dushyanta falls in love with Shakuntala, who
is a simple girl living with her father, sage Kanva in a hermitage. King Dushyata visited the hermitage when sage Kanva was not there.

The
king smitten by Shakuntala's beauty marries her then and there
without waiting for the sage to come back. Immediately afterwards
news comes to the king that he is wanted at the kingdom immediately.

King
Dushyanta gives her his ring while leaving. He promises her that he
would come back and take her to the kingdom in a manner befitting a
queen.

After
the king leaves Shakuntala keeps thinking about King Dushyanta all
the time. It was at this time that Sage Durvasa comes there. Caught
up her thoughts she fails to look after the sage. The sage curses her
that the person she was thinking about would forget her.

However
at the request of Shakuntala's friends, sage Durvasa modifies the
curse saying that the person would remember her if she shows him any
insignia of his, which was with her.

Days
pass into years, the king because of the curse forgets all about
Shakuntala. Shakuntala gives birth to a son Sarvadhama.

Realizing
that Dushyanta is not coming for her, Shakuntala goes to see King
Dushyanta carrying the ring with her. But as she was taking a bath in
the river, the ring falls into the river and is swallowed by a fish.

Later, when Shakuntala visited the KIngdom and stands before the king with her son, the king refuses to recognize her due to the curse. Shakuntala is broken
hearted and starts crying.

It
was at that time that a fisherman comes there with the ring, which he
had found inside a fish. Looking at the ring, the king remembers
everything.

Shakuntala
and Dushyanta marry and live happily ever after. Their son is named
as Bharatha and he is crowned the next king after Dushyanta....

However
this is the version of Kalidasa's Shakuntala. But do you know that
this story was written by Veda Vyasa in the Mahabharatha? That story
is quiet different from Kalidasa's story. In fact there is no ring in
the story.

Here
is Veda Vyasa's story

Long
ago there lived a king called Illila. He had many sons. When he
became old, he crowned his eldest son Dushyanta as the king and
retired to the forests.

When
Dushyanta became the king, he first expanded the borders of the
kingdom. He first brought all the neighbouring kingdoms under his
control. Then Dushyanta ruled the entire kingdom. He was a very good
king. He was kind, firm and just. It was said that during his rule,
people never knew hunger. Thieves were totally abolished from his
country....

One
morning in court as Dushyanta was hearing about the affairs of his
kingdom, a very haggard looking man rushed inside the king's court.
His dress looked dirty and torn and the man was short of breath, with
dark circles under his eyes. The man looked like he had not slept or
eaten for a long time. The man saw the king and gasped. 'Your
majesty! Your majesty! You have to help us...You have to help us or
we are doomed!'

The
guards of the king came near the man and looked at the king
questioningly. What could have happened to this man....The
guards had not seen any person in such a bad state for as long as
they could remember....

The
king signaled his guards to stand back. 'Who are you, my man? He
asked the man sharply.

The
man took a deep breath and looked at the king, 'Your majesty! The
animals....our village....Our village is near a very big
forest....The animals from the forest have entered the village
and....' The man shuddered, 'They are wrecking havoc in our
village....' The man wiped fresh tears from his eyes. 'If you do not
come fast, I am afraid....I am afraid...' The man sobbed, 'There may
be no one left in my village....'

The
king looked straight at the man, 'Do not worry. I will take care of
it....' Such was the confidence of the king that the man for a second
felt his worries vanish. He felt instinctively that his village was
safe...He nodded calmly. The king called one of his guards. 'Take
this man and make sure he is well-fed and rested...' The guard nodded
his head and led the man away from him. The man realizing that the
king would take care of the problem, forgot his worries and went with
the guard.

The
king called his minister, 'I want to leave for the village now!' The
minister was a man of small words and nodded his head. 'Prepare a
small army to accompany me...The army should have archers and people
who are good at fighting animals....' The minister nodded his head
again. 'And handle all the matters here in the capital, while I am
away...' The minister nodded his head for the third time.

The
king left for his chambers to prepare himself.

As
the king traveled through the capital in his chariot, his people
stared at him in awe...

'Look
at our king, he looks magnificent like Indra himself....'

'I
don't think our king can ever be defeated in war....' The people
whispered among themselves.

As
the whispers reached the king, he smiled to himself as he raced out
of the capital towards the other village, a small army following
him....

As
the king had planned he was near the village soon. There he heard the
screams of people, the roars and trumpets of the animals....He
swiftly gave the order to his army and dispatched them to different
parts of the village....He took out his bow and arrow and aimed it
straight.....

Soon
the threat to the village was no more....The king and his army chased
the wild animals back to the forests...There the king and his army
hunted the animals....

As
the king strung his arrow and aimed it at the last of the few
elephants...he stopped...Suddenly jumping before the elephant was one
of the most beautiful deers he had ever seen....The king almost
fumbled with the arrow. But by sheer practice, he pulled the arrow
back instead of letting it go....

The
deer also suddenly looking around seemed to realize the danger it was
in and ran....It ran as fast as it could, away from it....far away
from it....The king was however mesmerized by the beauty of the
deer....He ordered his charioteer to go behind the deer. The king
followed the deer and behind him came his army......

As
the king raced behind the deer, soon they entered into another
forest....a captivating forest....The king could not describe it, but
he knew that the forest was different from the one he had just left
or any other forest he had seen...It was serene, calm and infinitely
more beautiful...The forest was mysteriously peaceful....

The
king was still chasing the deer when he saw a majestic river flow
through the forest. The sound of the river passing through the forest
seemed to be melodic and in tune with everything else in the
forest....The king forgot the deer and smiled as he looked
around....The view around the river took his breath away. The king
had never seen such a beautiful place....He felt tranquil,
peaceful....

He
now knew where he was....

The
river was the Malini and near the river were beautiful small
hermitages. The king smiled to himself and ordered for his army to
stop, 'We will all wait here...No hunting in these parts!' He looked
at his soldiers who were half looking surprised and half enjoying
their surroundings. 'This is the hermitage of the great sage Kanva!
That is the reason, the forests here look....' The king gestured with
his hands all around them. The soldiers nodded. The king continued,
'The sage would not appreciate it, if a huge army entered his
hermitage. But I have to go and pay respects to the sage! So I will
go with our priest!' He looked at his soldiers who nodded as one. 'I
will be back soon! We have to get back to the other forest! Though
there is no danger to the villagers as of now, we still have to make
sure that the villagers are safe from further harm!'

Leaving
the army behind, the king and his priest entered the hermitage.

However
as the king walked inside the main hermitage and was surprised. There
was no one there. The priest and the king looked around.
Still there was no sign of anyone in the main hermitage....

'Hello?'
The king called out. The king turned as he heard a rustle of clothes
behind him. He whirled around and when he turned....The king felt
like as if the world stopped still....Standing before him was a girl
wearing a simple ashrama's dress looking ravishing and charming.

The
king did not know it but the girl herself was stunned on seeing the
king. The king looked powerful and strong and his face shone out with
the power he wielded....

The
two of them looked at each other for long without realizing anything.
Finally the girl seemed to shake herself out of her reverie. Before
the king could ask her anything, the girl came towards him and
properly welcomed him inside the hermitage.

Still
a little stunned, the king sat down on the offered seat and looked at
the girl, who looked as beautiful as the Goddess Lakshmi
herself.....The king had the refreshments given to him by the girl
and finally collected him, 'Who are you? I thought this was the
hermitage of Sage Kanva! I never expected to find a girl like you
here!' He took a deep breath and said again, 'Who are you?' He
repeated again.

The
girl looked at him and smiled, 'I am Shakuntala!' The king found the
voice of the girl soft and melodious. 'I am the daughter of Sage
Kanva!'

The
king shook his head to himself. No way Sage Kanva could have
a daughter. And if she was the daughter of Kanva, then the king could
never marry her....He looked at the girl, 'Sage Kanva is a rishi!
He has never married! Then how is it that...' The king looked at
Shankuntala hoping she would explain.

The
king blinked, 'Kaushika? You mean the great King Kaushika, who
performed severe penance and then went on to become Brahmarishi
Vishwamitra! That Kaushika?' The king looked at Shakuntala a little
stunned.

Shakuntala
smiled to herself and nodded, 'Yes! When King Kaushika was performing
the great penance, Indra sent one of his apsaras Menaka to break his
penance. Menaka succeeded in breaking the penance....Kaushika married
Menaka and I am their daughter!'

The
king breathed a little freely. In those days it was custom, that a
king could marry either another king's daughter or a warrior's
daughter. If Shakuntala had been the daughter of a rishi, there was
no way, he could marry her....But there was another worry bothering
him now.

'How
are you here?' The king asked pointing around the hermitage.

'Once
when King Kaushika realized that this was a ploy by Indra, he...'
Shakuntala shrugged, 'He left me in the care of Sage Kanva! My mother
went back to the kingdom of Indra...That is the reason I was called
Shakuntala! When my father left me, the 'Shakun' birds looked after
me!'

The
king smiled and asked her the question foremost in his mind now, 'I
am Dushyanta! I am a king of the Paurava line! I am the son of
Illila! Shakuntala, will you marry me?

Monday, October 15, 2012

Dushyanta
looked at Shakuntala and said, 'Since I first saw you....I knew....I
knew that you were the one...my queen!' The king looked at Shakuntala
with love-filled eyes. 'Please accept my proposal....' The king saw
that Shakuntala was not entirely convinced. He hurriedly continued,
'...My whole kingdom is yours my queen! Please marry me!'

Shakuntala
looked shy and troubled at the same time. She looked at the King and
spoke, 'King Dushyanta, I am flattered that you feel that way about
me, but please....could you wait for a some more time....My father,
the great sage Kanva is on the way home. After he comes home, talk
with him, after that I would happily marry you....please!'

Dushyanta
looked at Shakuntala with a smile, 'You are obviously Sage Kanva's
darling! The apple of his eye! Seriously you do not think he would
object to anything that you have done by your own liking....'
Dushyanta continued passionately, 'There is a form of marriage called
as 'gandharva marriage'. Kings and warriors are allowed to perform
this marriage....By this system, they are allowed to choose their own
spouse....You may be brought up in a hermitage as the daughter of a
sage, but you are the daughter of a great king....I think you can
definitely get married by this method....Please say yes!'

Shakuntala
looked troubled. She knew that what the king said made sense. But
still she felt uncomfortable.....But the words of the king came back
again....She looked at the king with her beautiful eyes and slowly
nodded her head, 'King! What you say is true!...I think I can get
married to you by the gandharva ritual....' The king looked at
Shakuntala with happy eyes and was about to hug her when she held up
her hands, 'Listen to me my king! If you marry me now, I will ask you
a boon...I wish that the child born to us should be the monarch after
you....Only if you agree to this, will I accept your marriage
proposal!'

Shakuntala
looked very firmly at the king. The king almost burst out laughing.
'Is that all my queen! I promise that the child born to us would rule
after me! That is a warrior's promise and I will never go back on
it....'

Shakuntala
looked at Dushyanta and smiled. She turned to her friends. 'My
friends! Go and find all the things necessary for performing a simple
marriage ceremony...immediately! You will find everything in the
ashrama!' Her friends nodded and they raced to find the things
necessary for the marriage.

So
there in the midst of the beautiful hermitage, by the flowing Malini,
the king married Shakuntala........

**************

King
Dushyanta was now however a worried man. In the spur of the minute,
he had married the daughter of a rishi. Adopted daughter thought she
may be, she was still his daughter. He had married her without the
permission of the sage. What would the sage say? He would be angry
that he had done such a thing.... Dushyanta knew enough about
sages and realized the power that sages wielded by the power of their
penance. Greater men than him have been reduced to less that nothing
because of the curse of the sages....King Dushyanta was now in a full
scale panic. No! I must not be here, when the sage comes back....I
have to get away from here....If I don't, the sage would curse me....

Thinking
this, King Dushyanta went to Shakuntala. 'Shakuntala! I have to get
back to the affairs of the kingdom! I had come to the neighbouring
village because some wild animals had attacked it. It was during the
chase that I came here, my queen!' Shakuntala looked at Dushyanta and
waited for him to continue, 'To fulfill the duty to my people, I have
to leave and go back to the village!'

Shakuntala
looked a little perturbed when King Dushyanta spoke again, 'Don't
worry, my queen!' Dushyanta fervently nodded his head to himself, 'I
will come back and take you back to the kingdom, on a royal
palanquin. You will come back to your home, like a queen! My people
would see and accept you as their queen!'

Shakuntala
looked at the king and slowly nodded her head, 'Go ahead King! I
realize that you have many duties as a king! I will not stop you from
that...Come back and take me to the kingdom...I will wait for you!'

King
Dushyanta nodded his head and mounted on his chariot and drove off
with his army. His mind in a turmoil....What would the sage do....

After
Dushyanta had left, Shakuntala was worried. Now the full force of
what she had done dawned on her. She had married a king, without her
father's permission. What would her father say?

Sage
Kanva came back to the hermitage after collecting the fruits from the
forest. As he was walking, he remembered the youthful face of his
daughter. She would come and embrace him and welcome him....Kanva was
a rishi, but he still enjoyed the intelligence, youthfulness,
curiosity and creativity of his daughter.

As
Sage Kanva entered the hermitage, however today nothing
happened....His daughter did not come running towards him....he
looked around and saw that most of the work in the hermitage had not
been done. Sage Kanva was surprised....His daughter had never lapsed
in any of her duties so far. What had happened? He hurried inside the
hermitage and saw his daughter seated on the mat not even looking up
at him...

Finally
when Shakuntala looked up at the sage, the sage saw a kaleidoscope of
emotions in her eyes....Shyness, fear, love...Sage Kanva was
surprised. He had never seen his daughter like this...

Shakuntala
for her part was afraid to talk. She was afraid that she had
disappointed her father...Mutely she took out some refreshments and
listlessly offered it to her father. Her father looked
at her kindly, ‘Shakuntala! What is wrong? Please tell me...’
Shakuntala’s hands shook as she burst out crying at the kind words
of her father...She did not deserve to have such a good man as her
father. He was being so nice to her and she had broken his trust...

Shakuntala
laid her head on her father’s lap. He lovingly caressed
Shakuntala’s head patiently waiting for Shakuntala to tell him. He
could have of course used the powers of his meditation and sensed
everything that had happened here. But he wanted the story out of
Shakuntala. So he waited.

Between
sobs, Shakuntala told him the whole story, ‘Father...father! King
Dushyanta had come here, when you were away...’ Shakuntala
fearfully looked at her feet afraid to meet Sage Kanva’s eyes,
‘...We... we were married by the gandharva ritual...!’

Shakuntala
waited for her father to yell at her or start shouting at her.
Whatever Shakuntala had expected her father to do it was not
this...Sage Kanva laughed. He looked at her daughter’s tear stained
face and laughed, ‘Why were you afraid of telling me this?’ The
sage asked her genuinely surprised.

Shakuntala
looked at her father bewildered and surprised, unable to understand,
‘You may be brought up in a hermitage, but you are a princess...a
daughter of king and an apsara! You chose a good and just king as
your husband! Why should I feel wrong about that? In fact it is for
precisely this purpose that the ‘gandharva marriage’existed...And
you have also made sure that all the ceremonies of the marriage were
carried out...So no...! I am not angry at all. In fact I am very
happy. You have chosen a good man for yourself. For this, I will
grant you any boon you wish my child. Anything..’

Shakuntala
broke out crying, feeling hilarious. Finally after all the turmoil in
her heart had subsided she felt peaceful and looked at her father,
‘Father! If you wish me to ask a boon, then I ask you that you
forgive my husband and accept him wholly...’

Sage
Kanva laughed at the childish boon of Shakuntala but he realized that
the boon would make Shakuntala stronger. ‘I promise you that I have
no ill feeling towards your husband! I wish only good things for him
and now that you are his queen, that will always be so..’

********

Soon
Shakuntala had a son by name Sarvadhaman. When Sarvadhaman was born,
it is said that the Gods rained flowers on the child. Lord Indra the
king of the Devas himself came to see Shakuntala. Lord Indra looked
at Sarvadhaman with pride and spoke to Shakuntala, ‘Your son is no
ordinary mortal, Shakuntala! He is born to be an emperor!’
Shakuntala glowed with pride as Indra continued, ‘You are the
mother of an emperor!’

Sarvadhaman
grew up in the forest hermitage under the guidance of Sage Kanva. He
thought of Sage Kanva as his father. Even as a child Sarvadhaman knew
no fear. He would fight wild animals with his bare hands. It was said
that Sarvadhaman would keep the mouth of a lion open with his own
hands to count the number of teeth of the lion!

Sage
Kanva taught the child Vedas and the scriptures. He even taught him
the art of warfare and diplomacy. Sarvadhaman learnt all of this very
easily, almost effortlessly...

***************

But
Dushyanta never came back. He had gone back to his kingdom and had
never come back...It was as if he had forgotten all about
Shakuntala...

But
Sage Kanva was not blind to his daughter. He realized that Shakuntala
was hurt and angry. The man she had loved and broken her heart...But
Sage Kanva realized that the only way for Shakuntala to gain her
rightful place was to send Shakuntala to Dushyanta.

He
spoke to her, ‘Shakuntala! It is time for you to go to your
husband!’ Shakuntala looked at Sage Kanva as if she had been
electrocuted. She looked angrily at Sage Kanva. ‘I don’t want to
go to him! Why should I? He does not even remember...’ Shakuntala
choked down a sob unable to go on.

Sage
Kanva looked at Shakuntala and looked at her steadily, ‘You love
him! You will have to go to him! If not for yourself, then atleast go
for your son! He is meant to be an emperor! He will properly be
brought up there in the palace and learn the things that a king
should learn!’

Shakuntala
was fuming but deep down she realized that her father was asking her
to go because that was what would make her happy….

The
next day Sage Kanva spoke with Sarvadhaman when Shakuntala was
nearby, ‘Both of you would be leaving for King Dushyanta’s
kingdom. Your mother has to go back to her husband...You will have to
accompany her..’

The
little boy frowned, ‘If she wants to go, she can go...’ The boy
said pointing at Shakuntala. ‘I am not leaving my home.’

Sage
Kanva told him gently, ‘That will be your home from now on...’

The
boy looked at him suspiciously, ‘You are sending me away because of
my latest antics, isn’t it? If you do not like what I did to that
tiger, I will not do it...’ The young boy said it so earnestly and
Sage Kanva felt a tear in his eye. ‘I will not do anything you
don’t like, but please don’t send me away...’

Sage
Kanva looked at the young face and realized that life without his
grandson and daughter would be very difficult. But then he knew what
he had to do and he also knew that it had to be done. He looked at
the little boy and said with amused eyes, ‘If you don’t like it
there, you can come back here, anytime...’

The
young boy’s face broke open into a beautiful smile, ‘Promise?’
He asked. The sage nodded his head happily.

With
tears in his eyes, Sage Kanwa bid goodbye to his daughter and his
grandson. He sent some people of his hermitage along with Shakuntala
and Sarvadhaman, to properly present the story to King Dushyant...

*****************

As
they reached the kingdom, the people looked at the coming group of
people with wonder. A beautiful woman with sad eyes was clutching the
hands of a majestic and brave boy surrounded by people from the
ashrama. Who were these people? What did they want?

The
people had never seen people from hermitages before. They pointed at
them. Some jeered...some sneered...some talked...The only person who
found all this exciting was Sarvadhaman. The other people
accompanying Shakuntala were annoyed. They turned to Shakuntala,
‘Shakuntala! We will not come with you after this!’

Shakuntala
looked frightened as she gripped their hands, ‘Why? Please...Please
do not leave me here alone...Please...’

The
hermitage people smiled. ‘Shakuntala! Your father is sure that you
can handle whatever happens...We are also sure that you can handle
anything...We have observed all the omens on the way. They are very
good omens! Go ahead and talk to the king! But from here on, your
journey is alone...’

Shakuntala
looked at her friends and feeling a little scared tightly held the
hands of Sarvadhaman. I am his mother and I have come here for
him...She realized. It was at that minute that Shakuntala felt
strong and powerful. She nodded to her friends who turned back from
the capital streets.

Once
her friends had left, Shakuntala clutched Sarvadhaman’s hands and
led him towards the king’s court. As she walked the people gawked
at her. Never before had the people seen such a beautiful woman...The
boy who was with her looked majestic and brave...

‘She
looks like Goddess Shree...’

‘I
think she is not from earth...She must be an apsara...’

‘Look
at the boy! He looks like he can rip apart a tiger with his own
hands...’

‘Oh
my God! This boy resembles our King Dushyanta! Who are these two
people?...’

The
people followed Shakuntala all the way to the King’s court. The
whispers almost broke her resolve. Shakuntala wanted to turn and run
away. Only the thought of Sarvadhaman kept her moving ahead.

She
entered the court and from far saw Dushyanta sitting on the throne,
proud and regal, like Lord Indra. Shakuntala also felt unhappy, her
wounds opened suddenly...Why had this man forgotten all about her?

Dushyanta
looked at Shakuntala and realizing that she had come to the court,
with a boy, he said, ‘Who are you? What brings you here?’

Shakuntala
felt like the words had pierced her. She spoke quietly to
Sarvadhaman, ‘Son! Go and salute your father, the king!’

All
the people in the court were dumbstruck. The woman was the wife of
the King? How could that be? Dushyanta looked at Sarvadhaman who
had saluted him.

‘Father?
What lie is this? Who are you?’ Dushyanta said angrily staring at
Shakuntala.

Shakuntala
looked at Dushyanta, ‘King! I am Shakuntala, the daughter of Sage
Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka! I am the adopted daughter of Sage
Kanva! You met me in my hermitage, when you were driving away wild
animals from our neighbouring village! There you married me by
gandharva ritual! This is the son we have! You promised me that the child born to us would be the monarch after you! I have come here to
make sure you keep your promise...’ Shakuntala wanted to also say
that ‘You promised to bring me to your kingdom in a manner
befitting a queen!’ But she held her tongue.

Dushyanta
looked at Shakuntala and said, ‘I married you? What lies are this?
I don’t remember any such thing...You are making up stories...’

The
people looked at Shakuntala, who stood in the centre of the court
poised and perfect, her eyes smoldering. Every one of them was
thinking...This woman does not seem like she is lying...Then what
is happening here...Who is this woman...The people again pointed
at her and started talking.

Shakuntala
was past caring. She was not here to fight for her rights as the
queen to this man. She was here to give Sarvadhaman his right to
rule. She was here as a mother...

She
looked at Dushyanta with angry eyes, ‘Lying is equal to
killing...How can you even commit such a crime without
blinking?...Don’t you feel ashamed of denying being the father of
such a noble boy? Just look at him...How can you deny being his
father or how can you deny being married to me?’

The
court now stirred restlessly looking at Shakuntala, more and more
convinced that she was speaking the truth. Shakuntala continued, ‘I
came here to the great King Dushyanta from the line of the Puraravas,
thinking you were just and truthful...I don’t care whether you deny
our relationship or not...but remember this and remember this well! I
have been a faithful wife to you and you alone for all these years!
With my power...’ Shakuntala said looking around the court, ‘I
can destroy this court and your kingdom and bring it down to
nothing...’ The people looked fearfully at Dushyanta who himself
looked a little pale. Shakuntala continued, ‘It is not like I have
no home of my own! I will be welcomed back in Sage Kanva’s
hermitage like a queen! And also know this, my son...’ Shakuntala
said pointing at Sarvadhaman with pride, ‘...is destined to be a great
emperor!’ Shakuntala’s eyes looked ready to shoot fire as she
continued, ‘This was told to me none other than Lord Indra,
himself! I will raise him to be an emperor either with or without
your help!’

Everyone
in the court looked a little shaken. None of them had any doubts in
the words of the lady. Shakuntala clutched Sarvadhaman’s hands and
turned back without even looking back. She had not even crossed the
hall, when the entire court was filled with a heavenly voice,
‘Dushyanta! Shankuntala speaks the truth! As a Kuru king, it was
your duty to speak the truth. Call your wife back and accept her!
Sarvadhaman is destined to be the greatest Kuru King ever. He will be called as ‘Bharatha’ henceforth’ [In Sanskrit ‘Bhara’ means
honour and ‘tha’ means guard.]. The anger of a righteous woman
can destroy countries…Apologize to her and bring her back now,
before it was too late!’

Dushyanta
looked at the people and at Shakuntala and smiled. He went near her
and held her hands, ‘My Queen! I am sorry, but there was no other
way!’

Shakuntala
and all the people of the court looked bewildered as the king
continued, ‘This was the only way I could make sure that the people
believed that we really were married and that Bharatha is my son and
has rights to the throne after me!’ He held Shakuntala and took her
and Sarvadhaman back to the throne, ‘Now people would never
question the rule of Bharatha! I am sorry, my queen, if my words hurt
you! I am very sorry indeed!’

Shakuntala
realizing that it was all a ploy readily forgave her husband and
lived as his queen…

True
to the prophecy, Bharatha ruled the kingdom after Dushyanta. Bharatha
was a brilliant ruler, kind and compassionate….He ruled almost the
whole of India…that is the reason India is called as Bharat even
now….

Monday, October 1, 2012

Sage Bharadwaja, the son of
Brihaspati, was one of the Seven Sages who was protected by Lord
Vishnu when he incarnated as a fish during the Matsya Avatar.

The story of Dasamukha, however starts with the Sage
Bharadwaja's daughter – Illavida. She was very beautiful and
extremely intelligent.

With his daughter's permission, Sage Bharadwaja got his
daughter Ilavida married to Sage Vishravas. Vishravas
was the son of Sage Pulatsya. He was a learned scholar and was
extremely powerful because of his penance.

The son born to Sage Vishravas and Illavida was Kubera.
Kubera was extremely wealthy and became the treasurer of the Devas.
In the island of Lanka, Kubera built a beautiful kingdom and ruled
it.

At around this time there lived a
Daitya King Sumali. He ruled the underworld with his wife Queen
Tadaka Sumali and Tadaka had a beautiful daughter called Kaikesi.

Sumali was very unhappy. Time and
again the Devas had been victorious against them. He had to do
something to stop them....He spoke with his wife. 'Tadaka, we have to
do something about this! The Devas keep winning against us!
Physically we are as strong as them and we even have as good weapons
as they do....'

Tadaka looked at her husband and
answered, 'We lack the power of penance that the Devas have...I think
if we get that power, we would be able to defeat them...'

Sumali looked at his wife, 'What
are you saying? That I send my people to perform penance now? Do you
know how long it will take to get the attention of the Gods and get a
boon from them....By the time we get any boon it would be too late.
No, I want something to be done about it now!' Sumali said firmly.

Tadaka smiled. 'Sumali! You have a
daughter, who is of marriageable age.'

Sumali suddenly smiled as he
understood what his wife was trying to tell him. He called Kaikesi to
his room. ‘Kaikesi, As your mother has now pointed out, you are now
a grown woman and are responsible for your own decisions. I think it
is time you choose a good and powerful man as your husband! I wish
that you would marry the most powerful man in the world…’

Kaikesi looked surprised at her
father, ‘Father! You know so many kings, don’t you know anyone
who is powerful?’

‘Kings!’ Sumali said
contemptuously, ‘The so-called kings are not even as powerful as
me…No!’ Sumali shook his head angrily, ‘You need someone
else…Someone who is worthy of you…’

Kaikesi thought for sometime,
‘Father do you wish me to marry a sage, one who is powerful by his
penance?’

Sumali nodded his head slowly, ‘I
wish you to find a powerful sage and marry him…’

Kaikesi agreed to her father's
request and immediately set about finding a powerful rishi....

She went all over the earth to
search for a powerful sage. It was during the travels that Kaikesi
met Sage Vishravas. The minute Kaikesi saw Vishravas, she
knew….she knew that he was the man
she was going to marry….The power of his penance was shining
through him…Without paying attention to anything else, Kaikesi
walked forward and bowed to the sage.

‘Great Rishi!’She said bowing
to the sage. Vishravas looked at Kaikesi surprised as she continued
talking. ‘The minute I saw you, I knew…I am sure that you are the
perfect man for me, I wish...I wish...to talk to you sir!’

Vishravas held up his hands, ‘We
will talk about his tomorrow…Today, it is not…’

But Kaikesi was impatient. ‘Sir!
I will talk to my father! I will ask him to talk to you about our
marriage. Please sir, say yes! Sir please!’ She said with pleading
eyes.

Vishravas looked sternly at
Kaikesi and said, ‘We will talk about this tomorrow! Go home NOW!’

Kaikesi realizing that Vishravas
was angry now, left the place. She however talked to her father that
very day and told him of her decision.

Sumali came and talked to
Vishravas the next day. ‘Great sage! My daughter, Kaikesi saw you
yesterday...’

Vishravas looked at Sumali
annoyed, ‘So she was your
daughter…I have been wanting to
talk to you…Does your daughter not know any patience?’ Sumali was
surprised as Vishravas continued, ‘The time she met me was an
inauspicious time! I tried telling her again and again… But she
just did not listen! What...’

Sumali bowed to the sage and said
feeling a little unhappy at his daughter's impatience ‘Please
forgive her! She is young!’

Vishravas looked at Sumali
angrily, ‘Even if I were to marry your daughter, the children born
out of the marriage, would always be inclined towards evil…All
because she...she could not be patient for some time....’ Vishravas
looked at Sumali, ‘Is that...Is that what you want?’

Sumali bowed to the sage, ‘Sir!
I will take personal interest in my grandchildren! I will look after
them and make sure they do not stray away from the path of
righteousness…Please sir! My daughter loves you! Don’t say no to
her!’

Finally after a lot of convincing,
Vishravas agreed to marry Kaikesi. Born out of this marriage were
three sons Dasamukha, Vibhishana and Kumbhakarna and a beautiful
daughter called Meenakshi [Meenakshi in Sanskrit means the one with
fish like eyes].

Vishravas noted that Dasamukha,
the eldest son was phenomenally strong, extraordinarily intelligent
and had an instant grasp for everything. The reason Vishravas's
eldest son was called as ‘Dasamukha’ was because he had the
strength and intelligence of ten people.

But Vishravas also noticed
something else. Dasamukha had a fatal flaw – he was arrogant.
Dasamukha also rarely showed any restraint. Whatever he wanted, he
got it by hook or crook. Dasamukha was disrespectful to others and
got into trouble often for taking things which belonged to others.

In order to help his son focus his
energy on the better things, Vishravas taught his son the Vedhas and
the other Scriptures. Vishravas also taught Dasamukha the ways of the
warrior. Dasamukha was an exceptionally good warrior and learnt the
art of warfare quickly. Vishravas even taught his son to play the
veena. In time Dasamukha became an excellent veena player.

Unknown to Vishravas, however
Dasamukha also had another visitor. His grandfather Sumali. Sumali
noticed that his grandson Dasamukha was an exceptional warrior and
was a natural leader. He decided to develop that skill and taught
Dasamukha the ways of the Daityas…

He would speak to his grandson,
‘Dasamukha! You are now a strong and intelligent man! I do not
think you are destined to be just a warrior! You are destined to be a
great man! I wish you to be a king!’ Dasamukha liked it when he
heard that. Sumali told him, ‘You have a step brother – Kubera! I
have heard that Kubera rules over the Kingdom of Lanka. It is one of
the most beautiful place in the world! I have heard that Kubera has
so much money that he is the treasurer to the Devas themselves.
Imagine how….’

Fueled by the desires that his
grandfather had sowed, Dasamukha dreamt to be the ruler...But
Dasamukha did not dream to be the ruler of only the Kingdom of Lanka.
He wanted to rule over the entire world, heavens and the
underworld....Dasamukha knew that he was now not prepared to launch
his attack. He would have to wait and prepare himself. He would have
to prepare himself the hard way...Win the favour of the Gods....

Dasamukha with his brothers set
about to perform penance. He performed a very severe penance for
many, many years.

Finally Lord Brahma appeared
before him, ‘Son! Anything you want, I will give you! You have
performed the most difficult penance, I have ever seen!’

Dasamukha was thrilled. He bowed
to Lord Brahma, ‘Lord, Please make me immortal!’

Brahma sadly shook his head. ‘You
have performed a penance strong enough for that…But I cannot give
you that boon son! It is against the laws of nature!’

Dasamukha realized that Lord
Brahma could not make him immortal but his penance was
strong…Dasamukha smiled. ‘Then Lord, grant me another boon!’ He
said without any hesitation. Lord Brahma nodded as Dasamukha
continued, ‘I wish to have amrita stored in my body…The amrita of
the Devas!... So that every time someone kills me, I will use it and
come back to life’

Lord Brahma knew that Dasamukha’s
penance warranted that he should be given the nectar. He agreed.
After this Dasamukha had amrita stored in his stomach….

However Lord Brahma was not yet
done, ‘Your penance was very powerful! You can ask for anything
else too!’

Dasamukha looked at Lord Brahma
with a sly smile, ‘Then in that case, my Lord, I wish to be more
powerful than any Deva, Yaksha, Gana….’ Dasamukha gave a long
list. However he particularly missed out adding humans to that list.
He did not think any man or woman could stand up to him and live to
tell the tale….

Lord Brahma granted him the boon
and disappeared from there.

After obtaining the boon,
Dasamukha now returned to his grandfather Sumali. Sumali saw
Dasamukha's power and immediately gave up the command of his vast
Daitya armies to his grandson. Dasamukha wanted to rule all the
heavens and the earth, but he knew that perfect place to start –
Lanka. Kubera was the treasurer of the Devas, that automatically
meant that if Lanka was his, he would have unlimited amount of money.
That would be of great help to mount his attack on the heavens and
the rest of the earth.

With the Daitya army Dasamukha
attacked Lanka. Kubera did not even have a chance. Powered by his
boon, Dasamukha had become almost invincible. Besides he was a
brilliant war strategist. He had Kubera bound and dragged before him
in a matter of a few days.

As Dasamukha was about to decide on what to do with
Kubera, he saw his father Sage Vishravas appear before him. Dasamukha
looked at his father, who looked livid with rage, 'What is this? Why
are you attacking your own brother? He is also a son of mine...'

Dasamukha looked at his father straight in the eye. 'I
want Lanka. I deserve to be a king and I don't want just any
kingdom...I want the best that there is....I want Lanka...'

Vishravas saw that his son was becoming totally addicted
to the power he wielded. He knew that no matter how much he talked to
his son, he was beyond reason. He went to Kubera, 'Son! Dasamukha
cannot be defeated by you! You cannot stand up to him! Give up Lanka
to him...' Kubera looked at his father in despair. Kubera loved the
city of Lanka. He had had the kingdom built with love and care.
Vishwakarma, the architect of the Devas had built the kingdom for him
as per his specifications.

Vishravas looked at Kubera and said lovingly, 'I know
you love Lanka...But son, I love you more...If you do not give up the
kingdom to...' Vishravas looked angrily at Dasamukha, 'He will kill
you...Please...'

Finally Dasamukha spared Kubera's life and Kubera gave
up the kingdom of Lanka to his brother. Kubera left Lanka and went on
to built another city in the Himalayas...However that kingdom never
reached the glory of Lanka.

Furious with the behaviour of Dasamukha, Vishravas
disowned all the children of Kaikesi and also left for the Himalayas
to perform penance there...

Dasamukha was however thrilled on getting Lanka. The
riches in the city were untold and the architecture was marvelous. It
was while touring the palace, Dasamukha saw the famed 'Pushpaka
Vimana'. He knew that Kubera had the flying chariot but he had never
seen it.

Dasamukha was however an excellent King. He ruled Lanka
very well and the Kingdom of Lanka flourished under him. It is said
that poverty and hunger was unknown in Lanka at the time of
Dasamukha's rule and that even the poorest families had vessels made
of gold....

Dasamukha also had another virtue. He was a great
devotee of Lord Shiva. His devotion was such that after his penance,
once Lord Shiva appeared before him and even gave Dasamukha his 'Atma
Lingam' [An idol which could protect an entire kingdom from any
calamity and give the kingdom riches and prosperity.]

Dasamukha loved the pushpaka vimana and often drove on
it to far off places. Once on one such trip, Dasamukha was traveling
towards the Himalayas. There Dasamukha was surprised. There was one
particular mountain, which the vimana just would not fly above...No
matter what Dasamukha did, the vimana refused to budge. Dasamukha set
the vimana down and got out. As he got out, he saw a very funny
sight...A man with a bull face was coming and walking towards
him....Dasamukha saw the man and burst out laughing, 'Oh my God! You
look like a monkey! Ha...You are so funny!' Dasamukha laughed till he
had tears in his eyes.

The bull looked at him angrily, 'You think monkeys are
funny are you! I curse you, you arrogant man! I curse you that you
would be brought down by monkeys!'

Dasamukha stopped laughing. A curse was not exactly
something which bothered him. He was after all the most powerful
person on earth. What could one curse from a man who looked so funny
exactly do to him? 'What mountain is this? I cannot drive my craft
here...'

The bull looked contemptuously at Dasamukha, 'I am
Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva! And this...' Nandi said pointing at
the mountain behind him, 'This is Kailash, my master's mountain...No
craft can fly above it, because nothing is bigger or more powerful
than him...'

Dasamukha looked contemptuously at Nandi and at the
mountain behind him, 'Powerful! I will show you exactly how powerful
I am...and exactly what your Lord can do to me....'

Dasamukha was actually one of the biggest devotees of
Lord Shiva. He worshiped Lord Shiva daily and faithfully...However
his arrogance had blinded him at the moment. Dasamukha got near the
mountain and lifted it...or atleast tried lifting it....He heaved and
grunted and the mountain shuddered and slowly moved up.....

Inside the mountain, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi
were sitting and talking, when they felt the mountain shudder.

For a second Parvathi wondered what was going on and
then looked pointedly at Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva looked at Parvathi
and smiled. Lord Shiva did nothing more than press his toe a little
more firmly on the ground. The mountain fell back on the ground....

For a second there was silence and then there was a
scream....a loud agonizing scream...a scream so loud that the world
itself shook and shuddered.....

Outside the mountain, Dasamukha had lifted the mountain
a few inches and gotten under it. It was at this moment that Lord
Shiva pressed the mountain down, with Dasamukha under it.

The weight of the mountain fell on his back...Dasamukha
felt like his back was on fire and was sweating from the weight of
the mountain. For a few seconds Dasamukha could not think anything.
He saw Nandi standing and looking at him contemptuously.

It was at that time that Dasamukha realized how silly he
had acted. He had tried to lift the mountain Kailash...The mountain
of the God he worshiped with his whole heart – Lord Shiva. He
realized that Lord Shiva did not intend to kill him...He just wanted
to teach him a lesson.

Dasamukha knew that Lord Shiva was the Lord of Dance and
that he loved music and dance. Slowly... painfully using the hair of
his arms, he formed strings and played music like he would play on
the veena.

He sang songs in praise of Lord Shiva. He continued this
day in and day out.....

After what seemed like an eternity, finally Dasamukha
felt the weight of the mountain out of his shoulders. He gasped and
ran out of the mountain. He felt free and happy.

After he had started breathing normally, he went up the
mountain. He saw Lord Shiva, 'My Lord! I am sorry! I am so sorry! I
behaved foolishly. I would never have behaved like this...I am our
devotee...I acted out of arrogance...sheer arrogance...I am sorry!
Please my Lord!'

Lord Shiva smiled, 'You have paid for your arrogance! I
felt that you had been punished enough for your arrogance that is why
I let you out!' Lord Shiva looked at Dasamukha and said gently, 'Son!
If it were not for your arrogance, you...you...would be...' Lord
Shiva sadly shook his head, 'Try not to let your arrogance blind you,
my son! And please restrain yourself....If you do not, it will lead
to your downfall...' Dasamukha did not realize that wisdom behind the
words. He just nodded his head without understanding.

Lord Shiva continued, 'When you screamed Dasamukha, the
world shook....you actually made the world scream....That is why
henceforth I will name you Ravana – the one who made the world
scream!' Ravana bowed his head and left from Kailash.

True to the boon given by Lord Brahma, Ravana defeated
Indra and the other Devas. Ravana ruled the heavens and earth....All
the Devas were his servants and he treated them contemptuously. But
no one was willing to stand up to Ravana. They was absolutely no way
of defeating him...

Also true to Shiva's words, Ravana was destroyed by his
arrogance and was killed by a human – Lord Rama, the avatar of Lord
Vishnu. And true to Nandi's curse, monkey's helped Lord Rama defeat
Ravana.